| "Streets of Minneapolis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBruce Springsteen | ||||
| Written | January 24, 2026 (2026-01-24)[1] | |||
| Released | January 28, 2026 (2026-01-28) | |||
| Recorded | January 27, 2026 (2026-01-27)[1] | |||
| Studio | Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:36 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Bruce Springsteen | |||
| Producers |
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| Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Streets of Minneapolis" onYouTube | ||||
"Streets of Minneapolis" is ananti-ICE protest song by American singer-songwriterBruce Springsteen. It was released in 2026, in response to the killings ofRenée Good andAlex Pretti, which occurred duringOperation Metro Surge inMinneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States.[3][2][4] Springsteen wrote and recorded the song following the killings byUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement andUS Customs and Border Protection, publishing it online four days after Pretti's death.
The song was released on Springsteen'sYouTube channel and social media, and through music streaming services and one day later, a music video for the song was also released.[5][6]
The song became the number-one trending song in the United States on YouTube on the day of its release, attracting over 2.5 million views by the end of the day.[7]
In early January 2026, theUS Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent more than 3,000 agents to theTwin Cities in Minnesota in a dramatic escalation of immigration enforcement activities underOperation Metro Surge.[8] Over a period of weeks, DHS agents clashed repeatedly with anti-ICE protesters, leading to the fatal shootings ofRenée Good on January 7 andAlex Pretti on January 24.[9][10]
On January 17, 2026, while performing at the Light of Day Winterfest inRed Bank, New Jersey, Springsteen spoke out against the ICE operations and dedicated his performance of the song "The Promised Land" to Renée Good.[11] Within hours after news broke about the shooting of Alex Pretti on January 24, Springsteen composed "Streets of Minneapolis", recording the song on January 27 and releasing it the following day.[1][12] The song's title is an allusion to "Streets of Philadelphia", theAcademy Award-winning song Springsteen wrote for the 1993 filmPhiladelphia.[12]
National Public Radio described it as "a full-bandrock and roll song, complete with anE Street Choir singalong. Springsteen's raw and raspy voice is full of indignation as he calls out 'King Trump' and his 'federal thugs', and promises to remember the events unfolding in the streets ofMinneapolis this winter. The verses narrate the killings of Good and Pretti respectively, and underline how eyewitness videos of their deaths contradict government officials' statements".[13]
TheMinneapolis Star Tribune described it as being in the "folk tradition ... detailing an injustice likeBob Dylan's 'Hurricane' or 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' ... [that] starts out with minimalist strum andtambourine for the first verse and then a full band kicks in. When the song builds to the chorus, the Boss [Springsteen] is joined by female vocalists. There is aharmonicabridge before he rails about beingdeported on sight if your skin is black or brown."[14] The lyrics characterize ICE agents as mercenaries for hire (a "private army"), andStephen Miller andKristi Noem's accounts of the killings as "dirty lies".[15]
The Boston Globe noted the song's context alongside several other protest songs released that month, includingBilly Bragg's "City of Heroes", theDropkick Murphys' "Citizen I.C.E", andLucinda Williams' "World's Gone Wrong"‚ which theGlobe singled out as "stellar".[16]
Tom Morello held a "Defend Minnesota" benefit concert on January 30, 2026, inMinneapolis along with punk bandRise Against and Bruce Springsteen, who was revealed as the surprise guest on the day of the concert. Springsteen performed a three-song set that included the live debut of "Streets of Minneapolis", his 1995 song "The Ghost of Tom Joad" featuring Morello, andJohn Lennon's 1971 protest anthem "Power to the People".[17] "Defend Minnesota" was described as "a concert of solidarity and resistance". Morello said that 100 percent of proceeds would "go to the families of those murdered by ICE in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti".[18]
On January 28, Minnesota governorTim Walz told reporterJacob Soboroff that he was "pretty emotional" about the song, and compared it, stylistically, to "theWrecking Ball Tour ... 'American Land'—[it] sounded like '41 Shots'."[19]
The song quickly drew comparison toCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 song "Ohio", which was written in condemnation of theKent State shootings.[20]
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that "[t]he Trump Administration is focused on encouraging state and local Democrats to work with federal law enforcement officers on removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities—not random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information."[21]
Steve Bannon, a staunch supporter of Trump's immigration crackdown, voiced his concern that the song could embolden resistance, saying: "It's kind of catchy. Bruce is throwing down for the revolution. Going on offense, folks."[22]
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] | 47 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] | 45 |
| Germany (GfK)[25] | 87 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[26] | 86 |
| Netherlands (Single Tip)[27] | 12 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[28] | 14 |
| Norway (IFPI Norge)[29] | 41 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 35 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[32] | 92 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[33] | 6 |
| USHot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[34] | 13 |
| USDigital Song Sales (Billboard)[35] | 1 |